धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च । यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम् ॥
dhūmenāvriyate vahnir yathādarśo malena ca | yatholbenāvṛto garbhas tathā tenedam āvṛtam ||
Fire covered by smoke, mirror by dust, embryo by womb — so is wisdom covered by desire. The cover varies in density.
Word by word (3)
- dhūmena āvriyate vahniḥ
- — fire is covered by smoke · Dhūma = smoke. Āvriyate = is covered, enveloped (from ā+vṛ). Vahni = fire. The first of three covering-analogies. Fire is inherently luminous but smoke (its own by-product) covers it. Similarly, the Self (pure knowledge) is covered by desire — which is actually produced by the same ignorance that created the ego.
- tena idam āvṛtam
- — by that (kāma), this (knowledge/world) is covered · Tena = by that (kāma). Idam = this — the entire world of experience, or specifically, jñāna (knowledge). Āvṛtam = covered. Just as fire, mirror, and embryo are covered by progressively more substantial veils, knowledge/wisdom is covered by desire with varying degrees of density.
- yathā ādarśaḥ malena / yathā ulbena āvṛtaḥ garbhaḥ
- — ādarśaḥ malena = a mirror by dust/dirt (ādarśa = mirror; mala = impurity/dirt — a dusty mirror that cannot reflect clearly); ulbena āvṛtaḥ garbhaḥ = embryo covered by the womb-membrane (ulba = the amnion/caul surrounding the embryo) — three analogies for how desire covers wisdom: fire/smoke (visible, constant), mirror/dust (surface, removable), embryo/womb (temporary, developmental); the three describe increasing intimacy of covering
As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo is covered by the womb — so is this (knowledge) covered by that (desire).
A modern analogy
You know you should rest, but something keeps you scrolling. The knowledge is there — it's just covered. Like a fogged mirror: the surface is still glass, it still reflects — but you can't see clearly. Desire is the fog, not a replacement for the mirror.
Take with you
- Knowledge (jñāna) is not destroyed by desire — it is covered. The cover can be removed.
- The three analogies suggest different densities of covering: smoke (thin, removable), dust (thicker), womb (complete, temporary).
- This teaching is hopeful: the Self/knowledge is always there, intact, beneath the veil of desire.
- The practice is not to create knowledge from scratch but to remove the veil (kāma) that covers what is already present.
V38 provides the metaphysical mechanics of how kāma (V37's enemy) operates. Three analogies, each suggesting a different degree of covering: smoke over fire (thin, easily dispersed — the occasional craving), dust on mirror (denser, requires effort to clean — habitual desire-patterns), womb around embryo (complete, structural — deep ego-identification with desire). Shankaracharya notes the crucial point: in all three cases, the covered thing (fire, mirror-surface, embryo) remains intact and unchanged. The covering is adventitious, not essential. The Self is not damaged by desire — only temporarily obscured. This is the basis for the possibility of liberation: the obstruction can be removed.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo by the womb, so is this enveloped by that. [1]
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo by the womb, so is this enveloped by that. [4]
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as the embryo by the womb, so is this covered by that. [6]
As fire is swathed in smoke, as mirror glass By dust, as embryo is wrapped in womb, So wisdom hid by this! [7]
As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror by dust, as an embryo is enclosed in the womb, so is this enveloped by it. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Desire is the eternal enemy of the wise — insatiable as fire. Feeding it only makes it burn more.
The all-pervading Lord takes neither sin nor merit from anyone — ignorance veils knowledge and deludes all beings.
Steady wisdom begins here: when all desires fall away and the Self finds fullness in itself alone.
Brahman-become, serene, neither grieving nor desiring, equal to all beings — he attains supreme bhakti to Me.
Acting for reward is the lowest form of action. Seek the wisdom that transcends reward-seeking.
Desire operates at all three levels — senses, mind, intellect. It covers knowledge at each and deludes completely.